The present invention relates to the general field of heat-treatment devices for heat treating packaged products that are available in bulk, said device comprising a chamber for putting under pressure and for performing such a heat treatment by submerging said packages in water heated to a given temperature, in particular sterilizing treatment, in particular in which T=100° C. to 125° C., or pasteurizing treatment, in particular in which T=80° C. to 90° C. Where appropriate, pressurization seeks to keep the water in its liquid state at said temperature, and it also seeks to impart a counter pressure that keeps the packages in shape, which packages would otherwise deform as a result of the heating causing the pressure and the volume of gas contained in the package to increase, where this happens in particular with flexible packages made of plastics material.
Currently, in order to automate a sterilization line upstream and downstream from a heat treatment chamber, also referred to as an autoclave, it is necessary to have specific accessories such as baskets, trays, and/or plates for carrying sterilized products on production lines and/or in the autoclaves, and also a system for conveying, loading, and unloading them. Autoclaves are designed to receive the accessories, baskets, trays, and/or plates in which the products are stored.
Such a system is financially costly. It is also costly in terms of space occupied in factories since the loading and unloading system must be situated in front of or behind the autoclave. Depending on the number of autoclaves, and thus on the number of sets of accessories, a space for storing accessories must also be provided.
In addition, since it is necessary to fill said accessories before conveying them towards and/or into the autoclave, and then to empty them after they have been sterilized, known methods are very costly in terms of production time.
Furthermore, very great attention is required from a maintenance and servicing point of view, so as to avoid mechanical failure. Currently, few solutions exist for providing full automation of the treatment line.
With regard to inspecting treated products, known methods do not make it possible to detect, visually and directly, poor sealing, porosity, and/or leakage of a package.